1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inflatable restraint system primarily designed for use within a motor vehicle to protect occupants when the vehicle is involved in an accident, and specifically, a collision or other type of crash or impact. The inflatable restraint system comprises a central processing unit or other processor operatively connected to both a sensor assembly and a valve assembly in order to initially inflate and actively regulate pressure within a first and second plurality of chambers, respectively defining impact absorption and impact resistance zones, disposed on the interior of each of one or more inflatable members mounted at strategic locations adjacent intended occupant positions within the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every year, thousands of people in the United States alone are involved in motor vehicle accidents, many of which result in the death of one or more occupants and/or severe bodily injury to others. Aside from the devastation and havoc these accidents cause in people""s lives, they also result in costs of over five billion dollars annually to the insurance industry, health care industry, health care providers, the federal government, public health agencies and many others. It should, therefore, be clear that the cause of morbidity (long term injury consequences) to the automobile and insurance industries is staggering.
Most current methods of reducing injury are predicated upon the principals of safety restriction and immobilization using seat belts and the use of single or multiple air bags. With regard to the inflation of the air bags in an emergency condition, the in-filing pressure dynamics are known to cause direct chest, face, eye, and sometimes brain and spinal injury when they are deployed against the passenger in an attempt to deal with impacting forces only from the view point of the passive absorption of such forces. Moreover, known air bag structures and designs are inflated towards the occupant. Accordingly, with regard to conventional seat belt construction, diagonal chest belt restraints, are disposed such that they have a tendency to rub across an anterior portion of the neck. Medical publications report complications of carotid artery thrombosis and subsequent stroke from blunt trauma to the neck from seat belts. Similarly, lap seat belts are known to cause pelvic and extremity injuries as well as blunt abdominal trauma. The fact that such air bags and seat belts save lives and reduce injury is not in question. However, most vehicular injuries, particularly those occurring at high speeds are not entirely predictable or preventable, especially with the use of these known or conventional devices.
The mechanisms which cause injuries in humans involve the summation of deceleration forces, and in particular, those linear momentum, angular momentum and torque-rotation, vertex-loading, centripetal and centrifugal forces, coefficient restitution forces and spinal xe2x80x9ccrunchxe2x80x9d forces. Most of these cannot be prevented because they occur probably within the first three seconds of low velocity accidental impact, and within the first 150 milliseconds of high velocity impacts, wherein the effect of such forces is completed, usually within 250-350 milliseconds. Thus, early on, the forces have already acted to produce injury and conventional seat belts and air bags become passive recipients of those forces, reducing them somewhat but not actively opposing them.
Accordingly, it should therefore be recognized that some injuries are due more to linear momentum and deceleration forces, and others to angular momentums with deceleration forces. Added to these are a combination of torque forces, centrifugal and centripetal forces and the xe2x80x9ccrunchxe2x80x9d forces due to spinal loading. Moreover, all of these forces are summated by the time the air bag is impacted by the body of the occupant. As set forth above, the result is that the most the belt restrains and air bags can do, even when cooperatively reacting with one another, is to possibly absorb such forces. When the summation of these forces are greater than the ability of the human body to tolerate them, tissue deformation occurs with the resulting injury.
None of the injuries, which occur in motor vehicle accidents, are totally predictable or preventable since the exact time or circumstances of a motor vehicle accident are not always known or predictable. In other words in most instances where serious accidents are under consideration, the current state of the art permits incomplete reduction of injury forces with the result being that total prevention remains illusive. Similarly, no two human bodies react in the same way to injury forces. In other words, the variables over which there is no control are significant. To date, there is no known way to totally prevent injury, particularly in high velocity conditions. There is however, a better way to reduce and control the harm caused by the summation of forces of deceleration, which cause injury.
As set forth above attempts to protect the occupants in a motor vehicle have for the most part included seat belts, also known as restraint harnesses and more recently, inflatable air bags. Such devices are most certainly a step in the right direction, and when used properly, have saved a tremendous number of human lives. Even so, both seat belts and air bags suffer from distinct disadvantages. By way of example, harness restraints including lap belts, chest belts, etc., limit the forward or lateral motion of the body""s acceleration caused by an impact, but in doing so, such restraints cause the base of the neck to act as a fulcrum or axis of rotation-flexion-extension to further accentuate the force of acceleration of the head on the neck. More specifically, when there is a collision, the motor vehicle is usually stopped by the impact, but the forces applied to the body and restrained by the seat and/or lap belts are nevertheless also acting to set the head in motion upon the neck, leading to impact injuries caused by a collision of the head against the front or side window, ceiling of the car or steering wheel. Thus, the common mechanism of injury to the brain, spine and/or spinal cord in head-on collisions is an acceleration of the head, and the neck, causing a hyperflexion-hyperextension injury, whereas in broad-side collisions, the head is accelerated to the side or laterally causing a lateral-flexion injury.
Most modern day motor vehicles use a combination of restraint harnesses and inflatable air bags, which typically, inflate during a collision in an extremely rapid manner from the steering wheel and/or front console area of the vehicle and towards the occupants. Thus, inflatable air bags are intended to cushion the occupant as he or she is thrust forward, under the forces being applied during a head on collision, and impacts the air bag. While the provision of air bags on modern day motor vehicles has certainly brought down the mortality rate, meaning that more people can survive the violent forces of a head on collision, the injury rate is thought to have increased, meaning that survivors of these and other types of crashes often suffer from serious head, neck and/or spinal cord injuries. That is because by the time the air bags are deployed, the forces caused by the vehicular impact are already acting on the body and, as set forth above, cause acceleration of the head on the neck as well as of the torso on the hip. In some instances, air bags have even been reported to cause nasal and facial fractures and, in extreme circumstances, result in the forcing of bone fragments into the brain. Further, the direction of air bag discharge is almost invariably towards the occupant and can promote hyperextension injury to the spine or posterior head injury. This is prevalent and can be particularly dangerous in elderly persons with osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones with age due to calcium depletion.
There have been some attempts to improve the protection for motor vehicle passengers, which have primarily been directed to the deployment of air bags from multiple locations within the vehicle, in order to surround an occupant with restraints. Such attempts have found favor and are promoted primarily by some European car manufactures, most notably those which proclaim the benefits of xe2x80x9cside air bags.xe2x80x9d While adding to the expense of the automobile, these and other multi-location deployment systems have been offered in response to an increased demand to solve the problem of multiple trauma injuries, prevalent in impact accidents. Further, such attempts reflect the desire of the motor vehicle industry to control and find a solution to problems that continue to cause death, disability and injury at an ever increasing rate. Such attempts are also a positive step forward in the effort to reduce death and serious bodily injury during accidents due to direct impact to the vehicle. However, even air bags that deploy from the side or other location in a motor vehicle do not effectively address the forces at work during an impact that cause acceleration of the head relative to the neck, and/or of the neck relative to the torso, and therefore, the problem of brain, spine, neck and torso injuries resulting from such accidents have also not been adequately addressed.
Accordingly, there remains a need in this art for a restraint assembly which is designed and structured to more actively intercept at least the head and neck motion of an occupant riding in a motor vehicle undergoing a collision or other impact. More specifically, there is a need for an inflatable restraint assembly which attempts to reverse the forces of impact between a passenger and an air bag, sufficiently to diffuse such forces by applying an equal and opposite force, while buffering the passenger""s impact, and thereby, reducing dynamically and actively, the range of motion of the head, neck and torso, caused by the impact. Any such improved restraint assembly developed would preferably also utilize at least two, oppositely disposed and pressure sensing inflatable members, each having a plurality of chambers, and further, through the application of microcomputer-microprocessor technology, initiate a positive gradient increase in pressures to some, but not all chambers of each pressure sensing inflatable member, for the specific purpose of slowing the acceleration forces at work on an occupant""s body, while applying an equal and opposite force to the force of impact of the occupant""s body with the other(s) of the inflatable members. Any such improved restraint system should further include a plurality of inflatable restraint devices or bags strategically located at various points throughout the passenger compartment, including but not necessarily limited to the ceiling, door post and seat belts, so as to provide as much surrounding or xe2x80x9cglobalxe2x80x9d protection as possible, with the goal being to significantly reduce injury by a reduction of the forces exerted on the occupant""s body during impact type accidents. In addition, any such improved restraint assembly developed should also overcome the long existing problems of known restraint systems through the ability to actively oppose impact forces xe2x80x9cintelligentlyxe2x80x9d through a series of dynamic pressure measurements conducted in response to the acceleration-deceleration of the various portions of the passenger""s body as the body impacts substantially oppositely disposed, but cooperatively positioned, inflatable members.
In addition to the above, any such improved restraint assembly developed should have the capability of storing data for determining and recalling related information, such as predicted speed of impact and a record of pressure sensing data. Such data could be correlated with post injury medical findings to determine, over a period of time, what impact and pressure ranges cause disabling injury as versus those impact and pressure forces which are only suspect at the present time. Such memory capabilities would serve as a meaningful tool of analysis and benefit to the medical and insurance industries, among others.
Finally, a preferred restraint assembly should also incorporate the use of a restraining harness which is adjustable to accommodate occupants of various sizes and is structurally modified to better protect, in terms of restraint, various portions of the occupants body. In addition, the restraining harness may further include at least one inflatable member which may be structured as described above and when inflated is directed outwardly from the restraining harness and the frontal area of the occupant.
The present invention is intended to address these and other needs which remain in the art and is directed towards an inflatable restraint assembly that is primarily, but not exclusively, designed for use within a motor vehicle. The restraint assembly comprises a plurality of inflatable members, which are strategically mounted throughout the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle at locations adjacent to an intended occupant position, such that deployment of one or more of the inflatable members will provide maximum protection to an occupant, when located in one of the intended positions normally occupied. Further, it is emphasized that while a detailed explanation of the structural and operative features of the present invention will be described relative to at least one inflatable member, one feature of the present invention is the cooperative positioning of two or more of such inflatable members, so as to be xe2x80x9cgloballyxe2x80x9d oriented or collectively disposed in at least partially surrounding, alternatively intercepting relation to each of the occupants. Such cooperative and collective positioning of a plurality of the inflatable members of the present invention are, in certain instances, specifically intended to significantly reduce injury to the occupant caused by an excessive acceleration or forward motion followed immediately by a rebounding deceleration, which often occurs through the use of conventionally known air bags or inflatable restraint devices. In such known systems, the conventional air bag structure is forcibly inflated resulting in a deployment of the bag in a direction substantially towards the occupant. As a result, the occupant frequently suffers damage upon impact with the conventional air bag and quite frequently suffers hyperextension and/or hyperflexion type injuries, due to a forceful forward and backward acceleration of the head on the neck and/or the body torso upon the lower back and hip.
In order to avoid these types of well recognized problems associated with the use of conventional inflatable restraint systems and structures, the present invention utilizes a central processing unit or other type of processor, which is electrically connected or otherwise operatively associated with a valve assembly and a pressure sensor assembly, so as to initially deploy, through inflation, the one or more inflatable members into their operative position. The processor, valve assembly and sensor assembly are operatively interactive to diffuse the force of impact caused by the occupant contacting cooperatively positioned ones of the plurality of inflatable members. More specifically, each of the inflatable members of the present invention actively opposes the force of impact between the occupant and the inflatable member and does so xe2x80x9cintelligentlyxe2x80x9d through a series of dynamic pressure measurements, made each time the head, neck or torso of the occupant rocks in a xe2x80x9cto-and-froxe2x80x9d motion, impacting at least one, but under certain conditions, at least two substantially opposing and alternately intercepting inflatable members.
The sensor assembly is structured to detect the pressure inside a plurality of internally disposed chambers within each of the inflatable members, and to relay the data relating to the internal pressure within the various chambers of each of the inflatable chambers to the processor. The processor activates a source of inflatable material or fluid, such as air, and initiates operation of the aforementioned valve assembly to provide an initial inflation pressure in predetermined ones of the plurality of chambers of the one or more inflatable members. The pressure within each of the inflatable chambers is then actively regulated or adjusted to accommodate the force of impact of the occupant with inflatable member in a manner which causes both a resistance to and at least a partial absorption of the force of impact. The active and xe2x80x9cintelligentxe2x80x9d regulation of the pressure within the inflatable members serves to reduce any type of repetitive to-and-fro motion, as set forth above. When two substantially opposing inflatable members are working in concert, each has the internal pressure thereof actively regulated or adjusted on an alternating, repetitive basis in order to reduce the to-and-fro motion or acceleration-deceleration of the occupant, to a series of lesser motions or oscillations of the head and torso.
Upon the vehicle being impacted, at least one of a plurality of impact sensors, located on the vehicle and connected to the aforementioned processor, communicates in micro-seconds the occurrence of an impact of sufficient predetermined force to possibly cause injury to the occupant within the passenger compartment. Upon such indication, the processor activates also within micro-seconds a source of fluid or other inflatable material and/or the valve assembly to cause an initial inflation and resulting deployment of at least some of a plurality of inflatable members.
At least one, but preferably all, of the inflatable members comprise a number of internally disposed chambers, wherein adjacent ones of such chambers are separated from one another by a partition. While the actual number of chambers within each inflatable member may vary, the chambers are collectively disposed and cooperatively structured to define an impact absorbing zone and an impact resistance zone within each of the inflatable members. For purposes of clarification, the impact absorption zone may be defined by at least one, but most probably, a first plurality of internally disposed chambers defining a xe2x80x9cleadingxe2x80x9d portion of the inflatable member. The term xe2x80x9cleadingxe2x80x9d portion is meant to describe that portion of the inflatable member which first contacts the head or other portion of the occupant""s body. The impact resistance zone is located xe2x80x9crearwardlyxe2x80x9d of the impact absorption zone and is defined by at least one but preferably a second plurality of chambers.
While the inflatable restraint assembly of the present invention contemplates the use of at least one inflatable member having the aforementioned impact absorption zone and impact resistance zone, maximum protection to the one or more occupants may best be provided through the use of at least two of the aforementioned inflatable members, disposed in substantially opposing relation to one another. When such two inflatable members are cooperatively positioned they each act as xe2x80x9cinterceptorsxe2x80x9d for the purpose of reducing the normal, relatively excessive to-and-fro motion to lesser oscillations by allowing the force of impact of the occupant onto a first of the inflatable members to be at least partially absorbed, but at the same time, resistant by actively regulating the pressure within the first inflatable member. At the same time, the pressure within the inflatable member needed to respond to the degree of the force of impact of the occupant thereon is determined. This information is then relayed, through cooperative workings of the sensing assembly with the processor, to communicate the expected and/or summate force of impact of the occupant onto the second or intercepting one of the cooperatively positioned two inflatable members. The relayed information then allows the pressure within the second of the inflatable members to be further regulated or varied to again absorb the force of impact onto the second inflatable member. As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the processor and sensor assembly are cooperatively structured and operationally functional so as to arrive at a summation of the pressure within each of the inflatable members and vary the total pressure so as to accomplish absorption of the force of impact of the occupant by means of at least partial deflation of the impact absorption zone while maintaining a sufficient resistance force in the impact resistance zone of each inflatable member. The summation of the pressure within any of the inflatable members, should not exceed the force of impact of the occupant onto the inflatable member, so as to not result in a forcible rebounding of the occupant, which would add to the acceleration/deceleration or to-and-fro motion of the occupant.
The inflatable restraint assembly of the present invention also comprises one or cooperative pairs, or more, of the inflatable members being located strategically throughout the various portions of the passenger compartment, wherein such strategic locations include but are not limited to the ceiling, side or door post of the vehicle, shoulder or body harness, etc. In addition, the one or more inflatable members could be mounted directly on an auxiliary seat, such as a child seat, so as to be structured to operate in substantially the same manner. In each of the aforementioned embodiments, one feature of the present invention is that in most cases, the initial inflation and deployment of each of the inflatable members does not occur in a direction that is directly towards the occupant. Such directional deployment of known conventional air bags has, as set forth above, in some cases resulted in severe injury to the occupant.
The various preferred embodiments of the present invention as described above, as well as additional preferred embodiments to be described hereinafter, are intended to overcome many of the disadvantages and problems associated with conventional restraint systems. As with the preferred embodiments described above, the preferred embodiments described hereinafter are specifically directed to better protect occupants in a motor vehicle.
More specifically, the improved restraint assembly of the present invention is primarily based on a recognition of the fact that front end motor vehicle impacts primarily cause anterior/posterior flexion of the head, neck and the spinal column, wherein the junction of the base of the spine in the low back serves as the fulcrum or point of motion. This is the location where the lumbar spine fixates to the pelvis and sacrum. The spinal column therefore acts as a long lever, xe2x80x9cwhippingxe2x80x9d the head upon the neck, with or without internal impacts within the vehicle. Side collisions do the same, but put the spinal column, head and neck in a whipping direction of lateral flexion, from side to side. oblique impacts from either front or rear diagonal impact positions add a component of rotation and angular momentum to the long lever-arm of the spinal column, causing what may be generally referred to as a xe2x80x9cconicalxe2x80x9d range of motion of angular momentum of the head and neck upon the base of the spine. In further defining the aforementioned conical range of motion, the base of the spine is used as or defines the apex of the formed conically configured range of motion.
Video tape footage of dummy collision models frequently demonstrate forces of both momentum and rotation, as well as the lack of adequate restraint provided by diagonal seat belt (chest) restraints. Their failure to adequately eliminate the aforementioned lever action of a long lever arm (the entire spinal column), causes frequent severe whipping of the head on the neck, by a combination of torque, centrifugal, and rotational forces, all responsible for head and neck injuries including xe2x80x9cwhiplashxe2x80x9d. Therefore, the additional preferred embodiments of the restraint assembly of the present invention provides strategically and xe2x80x9cgloballyxe2x80x9d placed inflatable members, which may be computerized or processor controlled. Further, the plurality of inflatable members are specifically disposed to be operatively oriented relative to strategic passenger positioning, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
Further, the restraint assembly of the present invention accomplishes strategic movement restriction of the spinal column, head and neck to reduce the forces of deceleration, linear and angular momentum, flexion, extension and rotation through the use of a plurality of inflatable members and/or a restraint harness. More specifically, in certain strategic locations within a vehicle, one or more of the inflatable members are deployed away from the body towards, for example the steering wheel. In this particular embodiment, one or more deployed inflatable members meet and confront a cooperatively disposed and structured inflatable member, issuing from the steering wheel. Also and importantly, the ventral space disposed in front of the body is reduced. This therefore, serves to fill the emptiness or void into which the body has a tendency to move during the type of impacts or emergency conditions described herein.
Other structural features of the additional preferred embodiments of the present invention include adjustable belt segments of a restraining harness, such as a chest belt segment thereof. The chest belt segment is operatively disposed in a substantially horizontal orientation and in overlying, protective relation to the upper chest of the occupant. In addition, yet another structural modification of this preferred embodiment may include an additional or supplementary inflatable member mounted within a receptacle in the chest belt segment or other portions of the harness. When deployed the supplementary or additional inflatable member extends upwardly, underneath the chin area and is further dimensioned and configured to extend laterally about opposite sides of the neck. Therefore, there is a reduction in the forces of neck flexion and, perhaps, lateral flexion. The chest belt segment of the restraining harness therefore significantly reduces the lever arm action of the spine on the low back, almost to the point of elimination. Accordingly, since angular momentum is proportional to the length of the lever arm which sets the head in motion, the fulcrum of the lever arm is displaced from the low back to the base of the neck (C7 through T1 vertebrate). This makes the lever arm of the spinal column shorter. A shorter xe2x80x9clever armxe2x80x9d means smaller angular momentums which are translated into reduced forces of injury or possibly preventable injuries.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clear when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.